Why Tech Communication Needs to Do More Than Inform
Let’s talk about communication — specifically, tech communication. Because too often, we think our job is just to inform. And yes, that’s part of it. But if we stop there? We’re missing the mark.
The role of tech communication is threefold:
👉 To inform
👉 To influence
👉 To inspire
Most tech teams do the inform bit. “Here’s what we’re doing. Here’s the cost. Here’s the timeline. Here’s how we’re going to deliver it.”
That’s where a lot of comms stop. And to be honest, in some cases, we’re not even doing that part well.
Why it breaks down
There are four big blockers I see all the time:
We don’t know how to communicate.
We fall back on town halls, emails, slide decks — maybe a quick info session with a few senior leaders. Then we cross our fingers and hope the message gets cascaded accurately. It rarely does.We’re not clear on what to communicate.
We either give too much (cue the 15-page doc no one reads), or we oversimplify to the point of confusion. People need to know: “What’s happening?” and “So what? What does this mean for me?”We default to the “how” over the “why.”
That 80-slide tech roadmap? Hugely important to your team. But if I’m sitting in Marketing, Legal, or Ops — I don’t need the full breakdown. I need to understand why it matters and how it connects to my world.We hand it off.
We send something over to the comms team, expect them to package it up and send it out. Then it gets delayed. Rewritten. Watered down. And when it finally goes out? It’s either too late or too off-mark to make an impact.
So what do we do instead?
This is where we move into influence and inspire.
This is where the real value is.
Your job as a tech leader — and really, anyone in a tech team — is to translate deep knowledge into business value. You’ve got the insights. You’ve got the vision. Now you need to connect the dots for everyone else.
And that doesn’t mean dumbing it down. It means translating it into language and value that makes sense for the people you're trying to bring with you.
Know your audience
Think about your C-suite:
The CEO and CFO care about strategy and return. How does this support a key initiative? What kind of ROI are we looking at? Are we talking growth? Efficiency? What’s the business case?
The COO, CHRO, CXO — they want to know how this makes life better for their teams. Is it faster? Smoother? Less painful? What’s the outcome they’re getting from this project?
That’s where your story starts.
Show the story, not just the smarts
This is where storytelling becomes your secret weapon.
You’re not just presenting data. You’re creating a narrative that shows people where you’re taking them, and why they should care.
Because if your slide is full of jargon and only makes sense to someone neck-deep in the detail, it’s not going to land. You might be showing competence — but you’re not building connection.
So step back. Ask:
What’s the value here?
Who needs to see that value — and in what language?
How do I make this meaningful enough for them to back it?
Own the message
And please, don’t fully outsource this. Comms teams are brilliant — but if you don’t stay close to the message, you risk losing the impact. This is your vision. Your project. Your opportunity to influence.
Bottom line
Tech communication isn’t just a tick-box. It’s a leadership skill.
When we stop at inform, we stay in the passenger seat. But when we step into influence and inspire, that’s when people lean in. That’s when they get it. That’s when we unlock momentum and success for our Technology Leadership and Projects.